A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at a women’s event in South East London. I was hosted by a church I didn’t know, in an unfamiliar area of our capital city – and, because it involved an early start, a long way from home, I was invited to stay overnight not far from the venue.
For various reason, utterly unrelated to my host and her lovely home, my sleep was disrupted and I woke feeling tired.
As I chatted with the Lord about how I was going to manage, he brought to mind a verse that I had stumbled upon a couple of weeks ago in my daily Bible readings, which I had decided to memorise – and it got me thinking …
***
The verse in question is Judges 6:14, which falls in the story of Gideon.
The context here is that Gideon and the Israelites are contending with a neighbouring nation called Midian, whose people keep invading their land, ruining their crops and killing their livestock. Midian’s oppression and destruction is so powerful and pervasive, that the Israelites are in hiding in mountain clefts and caves, feeling utterly terrified.
Gideon is no exception.
He is so terrified of the Midianites that he hides himself inside a winepress – not to crush grapes, but to thresh wheat!
While he’s in hiding there, an angel of the Lord comes to visit him, declaring, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” (Judges 6:12)
Gideon vehemently disagrees with this pronouncement. As far as he’s concerned, the neighbouring nation’s tyranny is so terrifying that it feels as through the Lord has abandoned his people – not that he is with them.
It’s then that God speaks – in Judges 6:14:
“The Lord turned to him [Gideon] and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?'”
And it’s this verse that God brought to mind that day.
***
Let me unpack it for you …
“Go in the strength you have”
Not “Go in the strength you don’t have.” Not “Go in the strength you’ve somehow got to muster up from nowhere.” Not even “Go in the strength God might give you.” But “Go in the strength you have.”
God knew that Gideon felt afraid. He knew that he felt like anything but “a mighty warrior”. So in this declaration, he is calling out the strength that Gideon already has.
And God does the same for you and me.
He knows what strength you have. He knows that it probably feels insufficient. But he simply asks you to step into that strength and use it. He will do the rest.
“and save Israel out of Midian’s hand”
God may not call you to save a nation from an oppressive enemy, as he did with Gideon. But I can guarantee that he has a task for you to do.
Gideon’s task was measurable and timebound. It was specific to that moment in his nation’s history and God knew that Gideon was the man to achieve it. He just needed Gideon to ‘get it’.
And it’s the same for you and me.
God knows what tasks need to be done, which only you can do. He knows what tasks need to be done in this specific moment. He simply asks for your obedience.
“Am I not sending you?”
Notice how God is doing the sending here. Not a person, a ministry, a church or any other institution.
Notice also that it’s a rhetorical question. God isn’t expecting Gideon to answer it. He just wants Gideon to know it, and to let the truth of it permeate his being.
And it’s the same for you and me.
It’s God alone who calls and commissions you; equips and empowers you; sends and sustains you. He just needs you to trust him.
***
As I meditated on this verse that Saturday morning, a couple of weeks ago, I could tangibly sense God speaking to me through it:
“Go in the strength you have, Joanna,” he said to me, “and deliver the talk I have given you to bring these women,” before adding, “Am I not sending you to them for this specific task?”
What followed at that event, that day, in that church, was incredible. There was a tangible sense of the Lord’s presence with us in the room – and a powerful time of ministry.
It exceeded all my expectations.
***
So let me ask you this:
What about you? What specific task has God got for you to do? And what strength do you have to do it?
You may feel anything but strong to the task in hand, but are you willing to step into the strength you have, in order to do what God wants you to do? And will you let him show you that he is sending you to do it?
As ever, constructive comments are welcome below.
(Please note: This is my ‘thought for the month’ reflection for May. You can find all my ‘thought for the month’ reflections here.)
Also, if you want another ‘thought for the month’ based on the story of Gideon, you will find one here.
Photo by Cotton Bro Studio via Pexels
